Parents and educators in Cork have launched a campaign known as Project Right to establish a dedicated specialist secondary school for academically capable neurodiverse students. Spearheaded by the Cork Inclusive Education Network (CIEN) alongside St Killian’s School, the initiative targets a perceived gap in the region’s educational provisions where students face barriers not from academic inability, but from the sensory demands, social pressures, and communication expectations of standard post-primary environments.
A New Push for Cork’s Academically Capable Neurodiverse Students
The Flaws in Current Mainstream Options
According to CIEN, existing options in Cork force families to choose between mainstream secondary schools with special classes that may trigger sensory overload, or specialized schools tailored to students with specific intellectual disabilities who follow entirely different curricula. Gerard and Órla Walsh experienced this firsthand with their 12-year-old son, Patrick.
Despite being academically capable, Patrick struggled with the lights, noise, and overall environment of a mainstream-attached special class. Following advice from the Children’s Disability Network Team, Patrick moved to home tuition, spending nine months out of school before securing a place in a multi-stream class at St Killian’s special school.
Preventing Severe Overwhelm and Long-Term Dropouts
St Killian’s principal Sue Lenehan explained that while some multi-stream pupils transition successfully into traditional secondary schools, a small cohort each year finds the large, busy environments unmanageable. Lenehan noted that these students often drop out of school two or three years down the line due to severe overwhelm. Project Right aims to prevent this outcome by creating a standalone post-primary environment that replicates the multi-stream model across an entire school structure, combining a full academic curriculum with small classes, trained teachers, sensory support, and dedicated breakout areas.
Engaging State Officials and Community Partners
The campaign is currently in discussions with the National Council for Special Education and the Department of Education to explore how the project could be implemented, with St Killian’s discussed as a potential launch point. Organizers have also met with Michael Moynihan, a Cork TD and state minister with responsibility for special education, whom the group describes as supportive.
In addition to local backing from the diocese of Cork and Ross, the Shine Centre for Autism, and AsIAm, the campaign is urging families and supporters affected by this educational gap to connect via email at infocien@yahoo.com as they await a formal government response.
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